Exams in 2021, The School Show Podcast
In the latest episode of The School Show podcast, Jenny Mollon, our Senior Editor, is joined in the studio by Mike Davies of Safa Community School and Ashley Fitzgibbons of the Swiss International Scientific School Dubai. Mike and Ashley help Jenny to understand how schools are supporting their students through a second, complicated year of exam disruption.
Together, Jenny, Mike and Ashley begin by discussing all the latest UAE school news, before turning to the topic of the day, supporting exam year students.
Jenny asks Mike and Ashley;
• to explain the current situation for the exams in both the British and IB curriculums
• to offer insight into how much study students have missed, and how this might impact their grades
• whether students feel that they are being treated fairly by exam boards?
• are UAE students confident of getting the grades they truly deserve?
• for their advice for students heading to university in September (and for their Mums and Dads too!)
Of course, to truly understand the issues facing exam year students, it is vital that we hear directly from our young people as to how they feel about leaving school and embarking on the next phase of their lives. In the second segment of The School Show, Jenny talks to Yohan De Silva, our very own Podcast Editor and current student at the University of Salford in Manchester. Yohan has experienced severe disruption to his university studies as a result of the pandemic, and his interview will give parents and prospective university students some idea of what they might expect should the impact of the pandemic continue to be felt into the 21/22 academic year.
To round off this week’s episode, Jenny interviews Stefania Cioban, a Year 13 student at GEMS FirstPoint School and Paulina Haddad, who is about to complete her studies at Dubai American Academy. Stefania and Paulina talk with great positivity and excitement about their future and are very candid about the challenges of completing their school careers during a pandemic. Their stories are well worth a listen.
The School Show podcast will return after the Spring Break with more great guests and education talk! Who would you like to hear from when it comes to education in the UAE? What are the important topics you would like us to tackle? Get in touch on our social media pages or by emailing [email protected].
